EEE episode 1

The first episode of this podcast on Eastern equine encephalitis—known as Triple E—opens with a basic but sobering fact: the virus is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes, and while cases are rare, the consequences can be devastating. About one third of people who contract the infection die, and many survivors are left with permanent physical or mental impairments. The episode walks through the fundamentals of what Triple E is, where it is found, who is most at risk, how it spreads in the body, and what can be done to prevent it.

What Triple E Is and Where It Lives

Triple E is a virus with a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome. It is classified as a vector-borne disease, meaning it is carried and transmitted by organisms—in this case, mosquitoes—that infect other living creatures, usually humans. The virus survives through a life cycle between Culex mosquitoes and avian hosts in freshwater hardwood swamps. These mosquitoes are distinctive: they are yellowish in color and rest parallel to a surface, unlike other mosquitoes that rest at a 45-degree angle. According to the CDC, most reported cases in the United States have occurred in Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, New York, and North Carolina, primarily in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and the Great Lakes region. Cases are relatively infrequent because the primary transmission cycle ta